Industrial Cultures Lore

Dive into the Industrial Cultures Lore of Humankind! Learn how to leverage AI bonuses and strategic advantages to conquer the highest difficulty.

Hey there! So you're diving into Humankind and want to get a handle on the Industrial Cultures Lore? Awesome! This guide is all about helping you tackle the game on its toughest setting, 'Humankind' difficulty. I've spent a bunch of time with this game, and I've figured out a few things that might help you out, especially since the game's still getting updates and things can change.

The biggest thing to know about playing on Humankind difficulty is how the AI gets a leg up. They get some pretty sweet bonuses:

• +3 Food per Farmer in all Cities
• +3 Industry per Worker in all Cities
• +3 Money per Trader in all Cities
• +3 Science per Researcher in all Cities
• +60 Stability on all Cities
• +2 Combat Strength on all Units

Now, these bonuses, especially the FIMS (Food, Industry, Money, Science) ones, are flat. What that means is they're super powerful early on when your cities are small, but they don't scale as well later when your cities get bigger. For instance, an early bonus of +9 Industry in a small city might mean you need a couple of Industry Districts just to keep up. But in a huge late-game city, that same +9 is a drop in the bucket compared to what a single advanced district can produce. So, the early game is tough, but it should get a bit easier as you progress.

That +2 Combat Strength bonus for AI units is no joke, either. It's basically like comparing a regular unit to a unique one for another culture – it's a big difference, especially in the early eras. My advice? Try to steer clear of combat until at least the Classical era, and usually, it's best to wait until the Medieval era. As you get further into the game, picking up the Professional Soldiers Civic and leaning towards the Homeland ideology can help even the playing field a bit.

The stability bonus for the AI is a bit harder to pin down, but it's likely similar to the FIMS bonuses – strong early, weaker later. The best way to counter this is by focusing on trading for luxury resources. It really helps keep your own cities stable and happy.

So, to sum up the general strategy for crushing Humankind difficulty:

1. Avoid early wars. Seriously, hold off until at least the Classical era, and ideally the Medieval era.
2. Get those trade routes going. Focus on trading for luxury resources to boost your stability.
3. Pick the right cultures early. Agrarian and Builder cultures are great for getting you started and scaling into the late game when the AI's bonuses start to fade. Building wide (lots of cities) is usually easier than building tall (few, very large cities) for this.
4. Aim for stars and fame. The goal is to rack up as many stars and as much Fame as possible to win the game.

Remember, this is a guide based on the game as it was when this was written, so keep an eye out for updates!